Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday asked a lawyer not to take the ongoing online controversy surrounding his reported use of the word "cockroach" during a court hearing "so sentimentally", while hearing a plea linked to the viral "Cockroach Janta Party" movement that emerged after the remarks sparked widespread debate on social media.
The controversy began during a Supreme Court hearing on May 15 concerning fake law degree holders, when remarks attributed to the Chief Justice were widely circulated online and interpreted by some as referring to young lawyers as "cockroaches". The comments triggered outrage on social media and led to the emergence of the satirical online platform "Cockroach Janta Party".
However, Chief Justice Surya Kant had clarified the following day that he had been misquoted by sections of the media and said he held the "greatest concern and respect" for the youth of the country.
On Monday, the CJI was responding to concerns raised by advocate N.K. Goswami, who expressed anxiety over how courtroom observations were allegedly being distorted and sensationalised online despite the clarification issued by the Chief Justice.
The Supreme Court was hearing a writ petition filed by advocate Raja Choudhary seeking action against what he described as the organised commercial exploitation and monetised circulation of oral courtroom remarks through digital platforms.
Represented by advocate Rajesh Singh Chouhan, Choudhary argued that the petition was not aimed at suppressing democratic dissent, satire or constitutionally protected free speech, but rather at challenging the transformation of judicial proceedings into "viral spectacles" detached from legal context.
The petition named the Union government, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Bar Council of India and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as respondents.
According to the plea, courtroom exchanges between judges and lawyers are increasingly being selectively clipped, meme-ified and circulated online to fuel outrage, trolling and monetised content creation.
"Isolated fragments of oral proceedings are selectively clipped, meme-ified, mimicked, commercially circulated, and transformed into viral digital content detached from constitutional and procedural context," the petition stated.
The plea also argued that vernacular and culturally direct styles of institutional speech, especially those associated with rural and non-metropolitan traditions, were often subjected to disproportionate ridicule within elite digital spaces.
It further defended metaphorical expressions such as "cockroach" as part of a long tradition of symbolic language used in constitutional discourse, literature, political commentary and jurisprudence to express institutional anxiety and procedural frustration.
The petition pointed out that Indian public discourse and judicial traditions have historically used metaphorical phrases such as "jungle raj", "watchdog" and "guinea pig" to describe governance failures, accountability concerns and constitutional issues.
Choudhary's plea has also sought a CBI investigation into the alleged proliferation of fake law degrees across the country, arguing that the original courtroom observations were made in the context of declining professional standards within the legal system.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant indicated there was "no grave urgency" in entertaining the petition at this stage and reiterated that the controversy surrounding the remarks should not be viewed emotionally or taken out of context.
